The Greene County supervisors will be in cost savings mode when they consider the county’s health insurance benefit and the budget.
County insurance broker Sandy Scheuermann presented information about the previous year’s insurance claims and renewal costs to the board on Monday. The year that ended Oct. 1 saw more claims than in previous years, Scheuermann said. She also said most employers have seen double digit increases in their rates.
Greene County is looking at an increase of 27 percent in fixed cost and an increase in expected costs of nearly 22 percent.
She presented various options to reduce costs, among them increasing the individual deductible to $1,000 and the family deductible to $2,000 annually. The insurance the county offers to employees now has a $500 deductible, which according to Scheurmann, very few employers still offer.
The supervisors took no action but placed the question on their Dec. 19 agenda.
The supervisors have not yet received information about the total taxable valuation for the next budget year. That is crucial information in making budget decisions.
